Deaf club’s lottery win joy

The cash injection means the club that is run entirely by volunteers can continue to put on fortnightly social events, update its website, provide more interpreters and organise various trips.

Money from the National Lottery Community Fund has provided a welcome boost for the committee who have been looking to breathe new life into the club with a range of new activities.

Treasurer Harry Murphy, who has been attending since the 1980s, was supported by Debra Simmons from Wigan Council and Tracy Wormald from Wigan Borough Partnership to apply and develop the bid.

The longstanding member, who grew up in Lowton and Tyldesley, was on hand at the club’s official celebration party on Wednesday to talk about what the financial boost meant for Leigh Deaf Club.

He said: “I was the first deaf boy to receive a gold Duke of Edinburgh award and to attend Buckingham Palace in 1968 and through my experiences growing up this has inspired me to want to change the perception of those with hearing loss and the chances available.

“This funding will keep the group running for another 12 months allowing us to provide a community celebration, develop our website and put on trips for our members.”

“I hope we can now encourage more new faces to come through the door and enjoy the activities that we will be putting on.”

The club has a long history that dates back to the 1970s when a group of deaf people in Leigh arranged meetings in each other’s houses before formalising in 1980.

For more information on how to get involved and to find out when the next social events are, please visit http://www.leighdeafclub.co.uk/index.html